Kanchanaburi, Thailand was an amazing daytrip from Bangkok. Our trip to Thailand would not have been complete without visiting the incredible tigers and seeing a countryside setting of the country we have wanted to visit for so long.
So, before going on our big adventure, we debated what daytrip to take from Bangkok. My friend Meaghan's boyfriend, Devin, had told us about this amazing tiger sanctuary, where monks find hurt, abandoned baby tigers and nurse them to health.
Obviously Ian and I were extremely blown away by the sound of this. Touching full grown and baby tigers? We had to see it to believe it. Devin had never been there, so we had to do some research. Only one of our Thailand travel guides even mentioned it because the Lonely Planet authors don't seem to think it is safe.
The other option was Pattaya. We heard Pattaya was dirty and the “red light district” of Thailand, but they have a crocodile farm there and you can take pictures with tigers and ride elephants. Needless to say, Ian didn’t think it would be the best choice to go there. So once we got to Bangkok we searched different travel agencies to find the best deal. We ended up finding an amazing day trip that offered so many different things!
Kanchanaburi is a small town about 2 and a half hours outside of Thailand. The population is 61,800. It is most famous for the Kwai River and the Death Railway, The World War Two museum, as well as the site for the World War Two prisoner-of-war camp. The tiger sanctuary is a common destination as well. First, we went to the Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetery. Most of the buried soldiers here are British and Dutch and the cemetery is a gift from the Thai people to the families of the soldiers who died on their soil.
Next we went to the Kwai River Bridge, otherwise known as the Death Railway bridge and the World War Two Museum, also known as the “Jeath War Museum.” It was an interesting insight to the Second World War and offers a beautiful view of the River Kwai Bridge. The River Kwai “Death Railway” bridge was incredibly eerie. We stood on the bridge thinking ‘So many people died to make this tiny bridge.’ There is a movie that we have yet to see that made the bridge famous, called “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. The bridge was a very small (it is roughly 3 km long) but was a strategic part of the Death Railway to Burma. It was estimated at the time that the railway would take 5 years to build properly, but the human laborers were forced to have the railway completed in 16 MONTHS.
We then ate a quick lunch of rice, stir fried chicken and vegetables and headed to the old rickety train. It was good to travel along the countryside and see a part of Thailand we would have never seen. The only drawback was that the train was over capacity so we were standing for most of the ride! We met a really cool traveler named Tanya, who is a lifecoach back in England, time flew by as we chatted with her about all of her travels. After Thailand, she was planning on heading to India.
Next, they took Ian and I to KAEW Elephant Camp. It was a very cool experience to ride an elephant through the forest. It was even cooler to feed the cuties plantains! But Ian and I both said we would never do it again, unless we were sure the animals were not being mistreated. Animal rights aren’t important in the Thai culture, and it is very unfortunate. Our guide was carrying this huge blade/hammer and I was hoping that he wouldn’t use it.
After our elephant ride, we went to a beautiful waterfall, took some pictures, saw a monkey chained to a tree (terrible) and said goodbye to Tanya. We began our journey to the Tiger Temple, which is actually a little outside of Kanchanaburi. It was incredible. Horses and other animals were roaming freely as we set down to the tigers. It was quite the site, with all the tigers lying down in front of a small canyon. A monk takes your hand and leads you to each tiger to pet them and get a picture with them. At first I was really nervous, but the tigers didn’t mind, so I eased up a bit. You can see it in my pictures too. I am gradually getting more and more comfortable. Anyway, then we went up and played with the baby tigers. Our main guide for the day said she came a few weeks ago, was playing with a baby tiger and….. she showed us the scar on her hand. The tiger had bit her! We sat with a monk and a baby tiger and took pictures, and then followed a little boy monk and 2 more baby tigers around, as they were jumping on each other and playing like kittens. Cows and bulls were standing nearby, surveying our experience, clearly jealous at all the attention the tigers were getting. Sorry guys, but we have you back in North America to play with!
An incredible trip that I recommend to anyone planning on going to Bangkok!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
It's a holiday in Cambodia
The song by Dead Kennedys never got old when we were travelling through Cambodia. I still like it as a blog post-title as well.
First things first. Cambodia is a country that is between the southern part of Vietnam and southeast Thailand. Thailand borders the west/north, Laos is north as well, and Vietnam is east. The population today stands around 15 million, and 40% of those are under 15. Not sure if it has any natural resources or exports, but its infrastructure has rapidly improved from awful to inconvenient in the past 10 years. There are 2 main cities, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. From what I read the rest is pretty undeveloped. They were very prosperous from the dawning of the common era, but their resources were streched a little thin when they tried to do too much in the 15th century. The French came in to help in the mid 1800s and their influence is still apparent. Pol Pot orchestrated one of the worst genocides in history, with an estimated 1.5 of the country's 8 million people dying as a direct result of his Kmher Rouge's policies. On with the stories...
Kelly and I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap aboard Bangkok Airways (a wonderful airline that could not have been improved the 3 times we used it) and had arranged a pickup from the airport with our guesthouse before we left. Our tuk-tuk for the next 2 days greeted us with a sign for Kellg Furgal (a step up from Kelly Furgag, as the confirmation e-mail addressed her) and 2 bottles of water. We went to the Golden Villa guesthouse, which came equipped with more water in the bar fridge, bananas, TV with BBC and CNN Asian centres, and flower petals on the bed. All this, and the airport transport for only $15! That first night we got some food from the attached restaurant, which was cheap and delicious with fantastic staff, and went straight to bed.
The main attraction of Siem Reap, and arguably the main attraction of southeast Asia, are the Temples of Angkor. The temples were constructed between the 9th and 13th centuries mainly and really show the dominance of Cambodia at the time. They are magnificent. They seem excessive for the time, with their size and the number of temples, and it is shocking how they have held up through wars and weather. I could go on forever about the temples, but I'll try to keep it to the highlights.
The first day we did the 'small tour' for $10. It started at Angkor Wat, which to this day is the largest religious structure in the world. Interesting to see at the beginning, because the gate you walk through before the main temple has 3 God statues all given equal status. It started as a Hindu temple, so there's Vishnu, later converted to Buddhist so there's a Buddha, and a 3rd I can't remember. The main temple is huge, 3 levels representing hell, earth, and heaven. The hell layer was huge, maybe 400mx400m square with remarkable carvings on the walls the entire way (called bas-reliefs). The hell-earth-heaven theme is repeated often in the reliefs as well.
After that we went to Bayon, which has over 200 indentical-looking faces - although varying in size - looking in every direction atop numerous pillars stick up seemingly at random. (Bigger and less symetrical than pillars, but I can't find the word). The faces are said to resemble King Jayavarman VII to help him keep an eye on everything and everyone. This was one of the most interesting because most of it was roofless and it probably has the most fallen/damaged rocks lining the outside of all the temples we saw. Yet it was still in what seemed to be remarkable shape, with all the bas-reliefs looking crisp and impressive.
We then saw a few more smaller ones before we met Bas and Susanne and were caught in the rain. Bas is Dutch and he just got a job with Vodofone so he and his German girlfriend Susanne took some time before he started and travelled Southeast Asia. We tried hiding under a tree for shelter, but it wasn't long before we sucked it up and ran under something with a roof. We were hesitant to do that in the first place, because the Cambodian kids are absolutely relentless trying you get you to buy their crap. Bracelets, postcards, clothing, books, water, and many other items of varying uselessness are offered and every 'No' is ignored. Needless to say, with a captive audience they bombarded us with their stuff. The problem is that Kelly and Susanne actually bought some shirts, so they knew we had at least some interest. After we had the shirts, we thanked them for their help and took our chances with the rain.
The rain didn't let up much, we seperated from Bas and Susanne with dinner plans for that night and saw a few more temples (Thommanon and Banteay Kdei) which were nondescript compared to the others we'd seen.
We met Bas and Susanne for dinner at Amok (also the name of the most popular traditional Khmer (Cambodian) dish) and headed from drinks at Angkor What!? bar, where 2 pitchers for $10 gets you a free t-shirt! We obviously took advantage of the offer, with Bas and I proudly displaying our new threads for the rest of the night.
The next day we did the 'grand tour' with hopes taking a hot air balloon over the temples. Unfortunately it was too windy for the balloon to go out, so we settled on more temples. Most memorable were Pre Rup and Ta Prohm. Pre Rup was interesting because it was made of smaller bricks, like you see used for houses. The others are mostly huge blocks, bigger than cinder blocks. The smaller ones were cool because the wear is so different that it actually starts to look symetrical again. cylinders are worn into cones, edges are rounded off squares, and it all comes together to look somehow planned.
Ta Prohm is the one temple of the area that has been left to age naturally. Trees, plants, and rocks are all left in the place nature decided they should reside (unless dangerous of course). There are many fantastic scenes with trees absolutely taking over a wall, with roots weaving through the temple like thread through cotton. Very impressive how trees can adapt to their surroundings, with some literally growing on top of a wall of rock.
The only disappointing thing about the temples was that the price of admission ($20/day, or 3 days for $40) went to a private company. I imagine that this decision was made in haste following the destruction of the country through the genocide to make some quick cash, but that's only my theory.
We flew from Siem Reap to the Phnom Penh that night, and met some really cool people as we were getting off the plane. Kris recognized my bag as Mountain Equipment Co-op and the ex-Winnipegger was happy to mention it. He's been in London for about 10 years now, and his girlfriend Myra hit the scene after leaving Pakistan 5 years ago. They have travelled more than anyone I've ever met and were giving us some good tips. Great company to have around for food and drinks.
We were only in Phnom Penh for 1 full day so we had to make the most of it. We had a tuk-tuk driver named Lucky who took great care of us and we hit the S21 torture prison (a very chilling ex-school, where 7 of its 2000 inmates survived), the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (where nearly 10,000 were executed), the Russian market (where Polo shirts were $4), the Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (impressive buildings, nothing too special inside of them), and finally visited Cambodia Light Children's Association orphanage. We brought them so towels and Canada pencils, but the kids were happier just to see us. It was very moralizing to see these kids who were so happy, playing in the raining street with no shoes or shirts and loving it. They saw it as lucky to have food and shelter, and visitors like us were a luxury they weren't going to take for granted. They wanted to show us their rooms (5 to a room, sleeping on the floor), art, boxing moves, dances, books, everything. They were thrilled that we would be interested in them. My troubles had never been less important as they were when we left.
We had dinner with Myra and Kris and took Lucky out for a drink. We asked Lucky why he was so named, and he was thrilled to tell us his story. When Pol Pot's men came for his family, his mother was pregnant with Lucky, her 11th child. The cronies saw all the children and let Mr. & Mrs. Lucky live because of all the care they needed to give. Because her kids saved her life, she named him Lucky. He was even happier to tell us that of all his family members, 10 brothers & sisters and 2 parents, only 1 was killed in the genocide. Lucky felt just that way, that his family go through the whole thing practically unscathed.
Cambodia is a wonderful place that will make you appreciate everything your life has given you. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the history is fascinating. After everything they have been through, with all the uncertainty regarding the future, the people are still gracious and warm. Unforgetable.
First things first. Cambodia is a country that is between the southern part of Vietnam and southeast Thailand. Thailand borders the west/north, Laos is north as well, and Vietnam is east. The population today stands around 15 million, and 40% of those are under 15. Not sure if it has any natural resources or exports, but its infrastructure has rapidly improved from awful to inconvenient in the past 10 years. There are 2 main cities, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. From what I read the rest is pretty undeveloped. They were very prosperous from the dawning of the common era, but their resources were streched a little thin when they tried to do too much in the 15th century. The French came in to help in the mid 1800s and their influence is still apparent. Pol Pot orchestrated one of the worst genocides in history, with an estimated 1.5 of the country's 8 million people dying as a direct result of his Kmher Rouge's policies. On with the stories...
Kelly and I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap aboard Bangkok Airways (a wonderful airline that could not have been improved the 3 times we used it) and had arranged a pickup from the airport with our guesthouse before we left. Our tuk-tuk for the next 2 days greeted us with a sign for Kellg Furgal (a step up from Kelly Furgag, as the confirmation e-mail addressed her) and 2 bottles of water. We went to the Golden Villa guesthouse, which came equipped with more water in the bar fridge, bananas, TV with BBC and CNN Asian centres, and flower petals on the bed. All this, and the airport transport for only $15! That first night we got some food from the attached restaurant, which was cheap and delicious with fantastic staff, and went straight to bed.
The main attraction of Siem Reap, and arguably the main attraction of southeast Asia, are the Temples of Angkor. The temples were constructed between the 9th and 13th centuries mainly and really show the dominance of Cambodia at the time. They are magnificent. They seem excessive for the time, with their size and the number of temples, and it is shocking how they have held up through wars and weather. I could go on forever about the temples, but I'll try to keep it to the highlights.
The first day we did the 'small tour' for $10. It started at Angkor Wat, which to this day is the largest religious structure in the world. Interesting to see at the beginning, because the gate you walk through before the main temple has 3 God statues all given equal status. It started as a Hindu temple, so there's Vishnu, later converted to Buddhist so there's a Buddha, and a 3rd I can't remember. The main temple is huge, 3 levels representing hell, earth, and heaven. The hell layer was huge, maybe 400mx400m square with remarkable carvings on the walls the entire way (called bas-reliefs). The hell-earth-heaven theme is repeated often in the reliefs as well.
After that we went to Bayon, which has over 200 indentical-looking faces - although varying in size - looking in every direction atop numerous pillars stick up seemingly at random. (Bigger and less symetrical than pillars, but I can't find the word). The faces are said to resemble King Jayavarman VII to help him keep an eye on everything and everyone. This was one of the most interesting because most of it was roofless and it probably has the most fallen/damaged rocks lining the outside of all the temples we saw. Yet it was still in what seemed to be remarkable shape, with all the bas-reliefs looking crisp and impressive.
We then saw a few more smaller ones before we met Bas and Susanne and were caught in the rain. Bas is Dutch and he just got a job with Vodofone so he and his German girlfriend Susanne took some time before he started and travelled Southeast Asia. We tried hiding under a tree for shelter, but it wasn't long before we sucked it up and ran under something with a roof. We were hesitant to do that in the first place, because the Cambodian kids are absolutely relentless trying you get you to buy their crap. Bracelets, postcards, clothing, books, water, and many other items of varying uselessness are offered and every 'No' is ignored. Needless to say, with a captive audience they bombarded us with their stuff. The problem is that Kelly and Susanne actually bought some shirts, so they knew we had at least some interest. After we had the shirts, we thanked them for their help and took our chances with the rain.
The rain didn't let up much, we seperated from Bas and Susanne with dinner plans for that night and saw a few more temples (Thommanon and Banteay Kdei) which were nondescript compared to the others we'd seen.
We met Bas and Susanne for dinner at Amok (also the name of the most popular traditional Khmer (Cambodian) dish) and headed from drinks at Angkor What!? bar, where 2 pitchers for $10 gets you a free t-shirt! We obviously took advantage of the offer, with Bas and I proudly displaying our new threads for the rest of the night.
The next day we did the 'grand tour' with hopes taking a hot air balloon over the temples. Unfortunately it was too windy for the balloon to go out, so we settled on more temples. Most memorable were Pre Rup and Ta Prohm. Pre Rup was interesting because it was made of smaller bricks, like you see used for houses. The others are mostly huge blocks, bigger than cinder blocks. The smaller ones were cool because the wear is so different that it actually starts to look symetrical again. cylinders are worn into cones, edges are rounded off squares, and it all comes together to look somehow planned.
Ta Prohm is the one temple of the area that has been left to age naturally. Trees, plants, and rocks are all left in the place nature decided they should reside (unless dangerous of course). There are many fantastic scenes with trees absolutely taking over a wall, with roots weaving through the temple like thread through cotton. Very impressive how trees can adapt to their surroundings, with some literally growing on top of a wall of rock.
The only disappointing thing about the temples was that the price of admission ($20/day, or 3 days for $40) went to a private company. I imagine that this decision was made in haste following the destruction of the country through the genocide to make some quick cash, but that's only my theory.
We flew from Siem Reap to the Phnom Penh that night, and met some really cool people as we were getting off the plane. Kris recognized my bag as Mountain Equipment Co-op and the ex-Winnipegger was happy to mention it. He's been in London for about 10 years now, and his girlfriend Myra hit the scene after leaving Pakistan 5 years ago. They have travelled more than anyone I've ever met and were giving us some good tips. Great company to have around for food and drinks.
We were only in Phnom Penh for 1 full day so we had to make the most of it. We had a tuk-tuk driver named Lucky who took great care of us and we hit the S21 torture prison (a very chilling ex-school, where 7 of its 2000 inmates survived), the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (where nearly 10,000 were executed), the Russian market (where Polo shirts were $4), the Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (impressive buildings, nothing too special inside of them), and finally visited Cambodia Light Children's Association orphanage. We brought them so towels and Canada pencils, but the kids were happier just to see us. It was very moralizing to see these kids who were so happy, playing in the raining street with no shoes or shirts and loving it. They saw it as lucky to have food and shelter, and visitors like us were a luxury they weren't going to take for granted. They wanted to show us their rooms (5 to a room, sleeping on the floor), art, boxing moves, dances, books, everything. They were thrilled that we would be interested in them. My troubles had never been less important as they were when we left.
We had dinner with Myra and Kris and took Lucky out for a drink. We asked Lucky why he was so named, and he was thrilled to tell us his story. When Pol Pot's men came for his family, his mother was pregnant with Lucky, her 11th child. The cronies saw all the children and let Mr. & Mrs. Lucky live because of all the care they needed to give. Because her kids saved her life, she named him Lucky. He was even happier to tell us that of all his family members, 10 brothers & sisters and 2 parents, only 1 was killed in the genocide. Lucky felt just that way, that his family go through the whole thing practically unscathed.
Cambodia is a wonderful place that will make you appreciate everything your life has given you. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the history is fascinating. After everything they have been through, with all the uncertainty regarding the future, the people are still gracious and warm. Unforgetable.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Bangkok, Thailand
Well, we are back in full force and are finally writing about our trip. I thought I would take some of what I wrote in my travel journal and add it into the blog when need be. So whenever I put something ins italics and quotes, it is from my travel journal!
* Note: "Th" is an abbreviated version of the word Thanon, which means street. *
We started in Thailand. We flew in to Bangkok after a brief stopover in the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam airport. Soon, we arrived at Khoasan Road, Bangkok late at night on September 23rd. as late as it was, the night was just beginning for Thailand tourists and dwellers. It was like what I picture a mini-Las Vegas to look like. We were so tired, so it almost felt as though we were in the Twilight Zone! We ended up staying at one of the nicer Guesthouses that cost a bit more then the rest because it had a good reputation, free breakfast and was one of the first ones we saw. We just wanted to throw our bags down and go grab our first Thai meal! So that we did. We went to a restaurant called "O Hungry" (clever, eh?) and wolfed down on some awesome, pricey Thai food.
"Last night when we got in, we were both so tired and totally overwhelmed by Th Khoasan. The street is closed off at night and houses many backpackers, not to mention several bars and a full out night market. Girls are getting their hair braided in ever direction, stray dogs and cats are more than common, and Tuktuk drivers are harassing you to go for a ride. (Tonight they were trying to get us to go to a "Ping Pong Show," which is a Sex Show, yuck.)" - September 25th
The food was great however I saw something that disturbed me.
"We sat down and ordered two dishes; one which was an amazing spicy noodle dish. Luckily, for me, I watched an ugly rat scramble underneath a table a few feet away to the one closest to us.... " -September 25th
There were rats everywhere on the street, amongst the stray cats and dogs. I even joked that one rat was saw looked as big as the Toye family cat Joey!
I quickly became immune to the rats, knowing since this was my first backpacking trip, I would have to get used to things like that. I lived on a dirt floor in the Dominican--- I can handle a few rats!!!
Anyway, our first "real" day in Thailand was jam-packed and awesome! We saw so much and it was awesome to see Bangkok in the daylight- a lot less intimidating! We took a water taxi to the "Wat Pho" which is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, rode around in a Tuktuk to a lookout point over Bangkok, went to the Temple of the Happy Buddha (which is apparently rarely open) and some markets. Ian was a bit skeptical because our Tuktuk driver wanted to take us to his 'friends' stores, and we were warned about Tutuk drivers doing that in our Lonely Planet book. But luckily the stores were decent and in the end, our Tuktuk driver didn't wait around for us, so we didn't even have to pay him! Ian and I decided to walk back to in the super hot heat, and explore.
We didn't really have any idea where we were going, but on our way we bought a cool Thai cookbook and stumbled upon the impressive Democracy Monument, on a island in the middle of a busy intersection.
First Link to pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115554&l=1d200&id=187905622
That night we went to an awesome restaurant called "Cabbages and Condoms" and also took the Sky train! The restaurant is located off of Th Sukhumvit, as classier district.
"It was hilarious. They give you condoms with your bill when you leave. Sounds trashy, eh? Well, it was quite the opposite, actually! Cabbages and Condoms is actually a resort and the restaurant is a beautiful mostly-outdoor Thai restaurant with "Bali curtains" hanging over a waterfall, long, droopy trees and branches, white Christmas lights everywhere, a Thai woman playing her Thai instrument and two floors of cleanliness and wood. We set upstairs on the top floor, overlooking the first floor and it was beautiful! A lot of the decorations were bright and colourful, all made tastefully out of condoms! There were also a few mannequins and statues made out of birth control packages and condoms.
"But there is a reason to the rhyme (or is it vice versa?) That is, a portion of what your bill comes to goes to Aids awareness and sexual education on Thailand. Pretty cool!" - September 25th
We took the Sky train back to the backpackers area. The Sky train is like an outdoor subway, overlooking parts of Bangkok. It is really neat to travel on, and everyone who goes to Bangkok should try to take a ride! It is alot smaller in size then the subway system in Korea, but it doesn't cover nearly as much area, or cater to nearly as much people. We ended up wandering around Chinatown and meeting some interesting characters.
In another post Ian or myself will write about our trip to Kanchanaburi, and visiting the elephants, Death Railway and tigers. When we arrived back from Kanchanaburi though, we were so tired, but still wanted to go out since it was our last night in Bangkok. We went to a really cool night market.After some shopping, we headed back to our lovely backpackers area. We decided on an awesome hot pink bus that was turned into a bar, serving as many drinks as you can imagine! Tables were set up beside the bar, and we quickly made friends with a group of girls and one guy who had rented a hookah from the pink bus, and were smoking strawberry tobacco. They group was made up of Thai people who all knew intermediate level English, and we ended up sharing some "bucket" (what cocktails are commonly served in in Southeast Asia) and some laughs with them. It was really cool to meet Thai people or age and converse with them! We had a blast that night!
Second Link to Pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115563&l=4832c&id=187905622
The next morning/early afternoon, we had our last hurrah in Bangkok because we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia that night. We went to the Grand Palace, "Wat Phra Kaew" otherwise known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and shopped on Th Khoasan. The Grand Palace is still sued today for the King only on special occasions.
Before we knew it, we were off on a plane to Cambodia to see one of the seven Wonders of the World!
PICTURES:
First Link to pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115554&l=1d200&id=187905622
Second Link to Pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115563&l=4832c&id=187905622
Monday, October 8, 2007
Back from Southeast Asia!!
Helloie everybody!
We just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that we are back safe and sound from our trip! Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were all phenomenal and amazing.... we suggest all three countries to anyone who is considering travelling! The trip was so much fun, so educational and totally exhausting! Both Ian and I are feeling a bit under the weather since we have been back, but it was definitely worth it!
We both kept travel journals (shout out to Erin and Rex for giving me journals as going-away gifts!) during our expedition, so once we have a minute we will sit down and write about our trip and take excerpts from our journals! Also, I have already started posting pictures and videos onto Facebook, so make sure you check them out when you can :)
We'll write more within the next few days, drop us a line and give us an update! Hope all is well:)
Cheers!
xoxo
kel and ian
We just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that we are back safe and sound from our trip! Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were all phenomenal and amazing.... we suggest all three countries to anyone who is considering travelling! The trip was so much fun, so educational and totally exhausting! Both Ian and I are feeling a bit under the weather since we have been back, but it was definitely worth it!
We both kept travel journals (shout out to Erin and Rex for giving me journals as going-away gifts!) during our expedition, so once we have a minute we will sit down and write about our trip and take excerpts from our journals! Also, I have already started posting pictures and videos onto Facebook, so make sure you check them out when you can :)
We'll write more within the next few days, drop us a line and give us an update! Hope all is well:)
Cheers!
xoxo
kel and ian
Friday, September 21, 2007
English Names for Koreans
Kelly has been holding down the posting so it's time I try to pick it back up a bit, a little something to tide you over while we're on vacation.
Most of the kids at our school have normal names. Sam is popular. Ladies like Sally, Alice and Sarah. Daniel, Jack, Steven, Catherine, Katie, the list goes on and on. Candy owns a disproportiate market share for some reason, but that's not absurd in North America. Of course, there are exceptions.
Some students don't have English names when they sign up for class, so that leaves naming them in the sometimes capable hands of us foreign teachers. We all have different methods for naming them, and they usually involve some sad inside joke (the kid is always as far outside the joke as is possible). Kelly's latest have been Snoop in honour of the incomparable Ornob Dey and Toby for the spineless HR rep from The Office (although the little man insists that it's spelt "Tody").
I have settled on naming kids after my favourite Toronto Raptors and Indy Colts. I give them a list on the board to choose from, and other students are free to offer suggestions too. So far I have several Sams (Mitchell), Chris (Bosh), TJ (Ford), Jose (Calderon), Anthony (Parker), Carlos (Delfino), Peyton (Manning), Reggie (Wayne), Freddy (Keiaho), Kelvin (Hayden), and a Bob (Sanders). I have a few Brians, but I need to change one to Bryan-with-a-Y in honour of Mr. Colangelo. I also dubbed one shy middle schooler Jamal, another Bernie (after Frank and Mitch were refused), and one final ass that refused to choose a name is now Nothing. I was in a stripper phase for a while so Misty and Ivy came about. The hardest sells have proven to be Marvin, Jorge, and Andrea. As much respect for Bargnani as I have, I feel bad naming a boy what any other English speaker would think is a woman's name.
Most of the kids we name are older students who don't care about English (hence them not having English names to begin) so I don't feel too bad about naming a Korean kid 'Jose'. If it was someone with an English future it would be a different story.
There are many great names at our school. One is Young for the attendence sheet but Grandfather Washington in reality. Andy, who is notoriously anti-fun in the view of the students, refused to change White's name to Chicken Stone Head. When Jeremy finally allowed it, he soon wanted to go back to White which Jeremy gleefully refused. Kelly has had Spiderman, Golden Pig, Ace, Tiger, Limerick, and Kiwi. I have had Coca & Cola (who came up with it together), Jewelery, Piggy, K (male), and Roll (female). One kid claims his name is Hell, but Andy refused so he remains Hey You until he picks something different.
The branch down the subway line in Gireum has some classics. Apparently Beckham is big there. Our friend Mark who left had a difficult time getting students to pick names until he found out that they all liked the computer game Starcraft. Soon he had a Command Centre, Docking Station, and Missile. The first day of a new semester brought him a kid whose name was spelt Allen. Turned out that was a misprint and the dude was Alien.
The days with new students are always the best, especially if they don't already have an English name.
Most of the kids at our school have normal names. Sam is popular. Ladies like Sally, Alice and Sarah. Daniel, Jack, Steven, Catherine, Katie, the list goes on and on. Candy owns a disproportiate market share for some reason, but that's not absurd in North America. Of course, there are exceptions.
Some students don't have English names when they sign up for class, so that leaves naming them in the sometimes capable hands of us foreign teachers. We all have different methods for naming them, and they usually involve some sad inside joke (the kid is always as far outside the joke as is possible). Kelly's latest have been Snoop in honour of the incomparable Ornob Dey and Toby for the spineless HR rep from The Office (although the little man insists that it's spelt "Tody").
I have settled on naming kids after my favourite Toronto Raptors and Indy Colts. I give them a list on the board to choose from, and other students are free to offer suggestions too. So far I have several Sams (Mitchell), Chris (Bosh), TJ (Ford), Jose (Calderon), Anthony (Parker), Carlos (Delfino), Peyton (Manning), Reggie (Wayne), Freddy (Keiaho), Kelvin (Hayden), and a Bob (Sanders). I have a few Brians, but I need to change one to Bryan-with-a-Y in honour of Mr. Colangelo. I also dubbed one shy middle schooler Jamal, another Bernie (after Frank and Mitch were refused), and one final ass that refused to choose a name is now Nothing. I was in a stripper phase for a while so Misty and Ivy came about. The hardest sells have proven to be Marvin, Jorge, and Andrea. As much respect for Bargnani as I have, I feel bad naming a boy what any other English speaker would think is a woman's name.
Most of the kids we name are older students who don't care about English (hence them not having English names to begin) so I don't feel too bad about naming a Korean kid 'Jose'. If it was someone with an English future it would be a different story.
There are many great names at our school. One is Young for the attendence sheet but Grandfather Washington in reality. Andy, who is notoriously anti-fun in the view of the students, refused to change White's name to Chicken Stone Head. When Jeremy finally allowed it, he soon wanted to go back to White which Jeremy gleefully refused. Kelly has had Spiderman, Golden Pig, Ace, Tiger, Limerick, and Kiwi. I have had Coca & Cola (who came up with it together), Jewelery, Piggy, K (male), and Roll (female). One kid claims his name is Hell, but Andy refused so he remains Hey You until he picks something different.
The branch down the subway line in Gireum has some classics. Apparently Beckham is big there. Our friend Mark who left had a difficult time getting students to pick names until he found out that they all liked the computer game Starcraft. Soon he had a Command Centre, Docking Station, and Missile. The first day of a new semester brought him a kid whose name was spelt Allen. Turned out that was a misprint and the dude was Alien.
The days with new students are always the best, especially if they don't already have an English name.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Preparing for our BIG Trip!
Helloie everyone! Thought I would offer a little update. It is probably going to be short and sweet, since I am sooo much marking to do before we go away for our vacation!
Last weekend we took it easy, for the most part. On Friday night, Ian and I along with our Junggye-dng branch friends went out for Gulbi, barhopping in our neighbourhood and of coarse ended up at the Noreabang. For those of you who are just joining us, Noreabangs are singing rooms in Korea- Great fun! You bring in your own food and drinks, rent a room and sing karaoke with all your friends. It is a great time! It was Melissa's first time too, and I could tell she was loving it!
Saturday Ian and I went to Meoyoung-dong. It is one of my favourite shopping places here. Unfortunately because I am trying to conserve my money for our trip, I couldn't buy much. It was our "4 and a half year anniversary" though, so it was pretty much just an excuse to go out for a nice dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant that was recommended to us by our friends Jen and Jeremy. It was so good, and it was especially awesome to have hot bread served with a meal! It had been too long! (I take it that that's one of the reasons Koreans are so skinny though!) We went home and made Soju slushies with Fanta and ice (Soju is Korea's "vodka") and watched a few movies. On Sunday we spent most of the day planning our trip and I headed to Itewan for a few hours. (Itewan is the foriengers district.)
All in all, we are just getting really excited for out trip. At Plus Academy, foreign teachers are allotted 5 vacation days per 6 month term. We are combining 4 of our vacation days with Korean Thanksgiving (3 days) and another National Holiday. So we will be gone for 11 days and still have one day leftover to make our trek to Japan in November. We are flying into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Korea, and then flying to Bangkok that same day. This is where our journey will begin! We will be spending a few days in Bangkok with one day trip to Kanchanburi to visit the tiger sanctuary and some other cool landmarks. From Bangkok, we will be heading to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the Ankor Temples. (One of the 7 Wonders of the World.) From Siem Reap we will be heading to Phemn Penh, Cambodia which is Cambodia's capital city. From there we are taking a scenic ferry to Chau Doc, Vietnam and heading north to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we will spend a few days. Then we are back to Korea! So exciting! We will take a lot of pictures (obviously) and write lots about it when we get back, I am sure! If anyone wants anything specific from these countries, let us know!
We are so excited, and have so many more adventures coming up to look forward to... in 2007 alone! We are heading to Japan the first weekend in November, and Ian's parents are coming at the end of November. Time is just flying by! We will be home before you know it. We couldn't believe it when we hit out 4 month milestone of being here a few weeks ago. Only 8 months to go! (And mom: STOP worrying!!!)
Miss ya'll! xoxo
Last weekend we took it easy, for the most part. On Friday night, Ian and I along with our Junggye-dng branch friends went out for Gulbi, barhopping in our neighbourhood and of coarse ended up at the Noreabang. For those of you who are just joining us, Noreabangs are singing rooms in Korea- Great fun! You bring in your own food and drinks, rent a room and sing karaoke with all your friends. It is a great time! It was Melissa's first time too, and I could tell she was loving it!
Saturday Ian and I went to Meoyoung-dong. It is one of my favourite shopping places here. Unfortunately because I am trying to conserve my money for our trip, I couldn't buy much. It was our "4 and a half year anniversary" though, so it was pretty much just an excuse to go out for a nice dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant that was recommended to us by our friends Jen and Jeremy. It was so good, and it was especially awesome to have hot bread served with a meal! It had been too long! (I take it that that's one of the reasons Koreans are so skinny though!) We went home and made Soju slushies with Fanta and ice (Soju is Korea's "vodka") and watched a few movies. On Sunday we spent most of the day planning our trip and I headed to Itewan for a few hours. (Itewan is the foriengers district.)
All in all, we are just getting really excited for out trip. At Plus Academy, foreign teachers are allotted 5 vacation days per 6 month term. We are combining 4 of our vacation days with Korean Thanksgiving (3 days) and another National Holiday. So we will be gone for 11 days and still have one day leftover to make our trek to Japan in November. We are flying into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Korea, and then flying to Bangkok that same day. This is where our journey will begin! We will be spending a few days in Bangkok with one day trip to Kanchanburi to visit the tiger sanctuary and some other cool landmarks. From Bangkok, we will be heading to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the Ankor Temples. (One of the 7 Wonders of the World.) From Siem Reap we will be heading to Phemn Penh, Cambodia which is Cambodia's capital city. From there we are taking a scenic ferry to Chau Doc, Vietnam and heading north to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we will spend a few days. Then we are back to Korea! So exciting! We will take a lot of pictures (obviously) and write lots about it when we get back, I am sure! If anyone wants anything specific from these countries, let us know!
We are so excited, and have so many more adventures coming up to look forward to... in 2007 alone! We are heading to Japan the first weekend in November, and Ian's parents are coming at the end of November. Time is just flying by! We will be home before you know it. We couldn't believe it when we hit out 4 month milestone of being here a few weeks ago. Only 8 months to go! (And mom: STOP worrying!!!)
Miss ya'll! xoxo
Monday, September 10, 2007
Another Weekend in So-Ko
"Aneoung-hey seyo" from So-Ko!
This past weekend was jam-packed for Ian and I. Ian did his "all Korean" diet this week, so I am sure he will write about his menu and how it went. Friday night we went to Chicken Palace with all of our branch colleagues. It is an amazing BBQ chicken restaurant in our neighbourhood. We had to wait longer then usual for our food due to language barriers because our favourite manager wasn't working, but other then that it was really fun! After that, Ian, Melissa, Andy, Leah and I decided to go to our local convinience store "GS 25" for a few more cocktails and ran into a Korean teacher from our school, Joy. She is awesome, so it was nice to hang out with her.
Saturday I went shopping with Jen and Melissa from my school. We went to one of my favourite places, Ewha Women's University area. This district is is home to the biggest women's university in the world. Needless to say, the women's shopping is always incredible!
Something there bothered me this weekend though. A homeless woman was selling a malnourished kitten and puppy. All she could afford to feed them was black bean tea water
that was been given away for free on the street. She was picking them up and tossing them around like bean bags on parade. Jen loves cats, so she was heartbroken and was SO close to just buying it and taking it home. It was really sad.Saturday night, Ian and I headed down south to Erin and Justin's place in Beomgye. (For those of you who have not read previous posts, Erin and Justin are Ian's hometown friends that arrived a little while after us!) What a fun area! Their apartment is beautiful and we enjoyed some munchies, wine and Captain Morgans before hitting the town. We went to a really
tasty Mexican restaurant and then a neat bar where we drank cocktails our of a giant, hollowed out pineapple. Ian and Justin played some kind of shooting marble game before heading back in the for evening. Sunday unexpectedly was a great day too. Erin made us all breakfast and Ian and I headed out to meet our friend from Laurier, Josh. He plays in a baseball league here in Korea, and we went and watched his game for a bit. It was awesome sitting outside, since the weather was so beautiful. After a bit of baseball watching, Ian and I decided to head to Seoul Grand Park and see what was there.
Seoul Grand Park encompasses alot. There is a Contemporary Art Museum, a theme Park called "SeoulLand" and a zoo. Ian and I went to the zoo because we love going to the zoo! It was a great time. We watched Lions being thrown huge steaks and fighting for them and watched a dolphin and seal show which was really cool! One thing that Ian and
I noticed that was sad was the fact that the tigers were in tiny cages, while the lions, zebras and gazelles got large, grassy ar
eas. We felt bad for them! After that, I headed to Itewan and picked up some "foreign" groceries and Ian headed home to play basketball with Andy and a Korean test teacher from our school who invited them. Maybe Ian will write more about their games with all the Korean guys, but I don't know much about it other than that they had fun!
It was a great weekend! All I can say is thank goodness Monday's classes are over for me right now! I am beat!
Here are some pictures from September in Korea, including one of my classes and the homeless woman selling the animals: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2109931&l=a1bf5&id=187905622
Here are pictures from Seoul Grand Park!: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2109969&l=8ca89&id=187905622
Until next time!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Interesting Little Excursion
I am trying to write more about the little things Ian and I do in Korea. There are so many amusing, different and cultural things we see everyday but don't mrntion because we are used to them!
So, Ian and I went to the Vietnamese Embassy yesterday to apply for out Multiple Entry Visas for Vietnam. Let me tell you, it was an interesting experience. Maybe because the only Embassy's I have been to are the Canadian, American and Korean, but still.
So we took the subway to Insadong, which is the pretty, older area in Seoul. We took a cab to a large building where a man saluted to us and told us we were actually about a block away from the Vietnamese Embassy. Fine. So we walked along a hill and entered some 'welcoming' gates that had a little plaque on them that read "Vietnam" (The only English word). So we walked in and turned left, to see what looked like a run-down, wartime house. We walked up the steps and through the doorway into a waiting room of Korean and Vietnamese mothers with their crying babies, men and families. The carpet was brown and torn, there was a cash register against the wall with no attendant and a dusty counter for filling out applications with no pens in sight. We walked to the right to the next doorway and found a door with a plaque on it that read "Consular" and opened it. There were two desks most likely from the 1970's and one man was at each desk.
We were told that we were supposed to come before 12, and that they were about to leave, but they helped us anyway. After taking turns writing our applications in the waiting room with the one pen I had and watching the Consulate worker apply white-out to fix our written apps, we had successfully applied for our Vietnam Visas.
We go back on Monday to pick them up. That's all she wrote!
So, Ian and I went to the Vietnamese Embassy yesterday to apply for out Multiple Entry Visas for Vietnam. Let me tell you, it was an interesting experience. Maybe because the only Embassy's I have been to are the Canadian, American and Korean, but still.
So we took the subway to Insadong, which is the pretty, older area in Seoul. We took a cab to a large building where a man saluted to us and told us we were actually about a block away from the Vietnamese Embassy. Fine. So we walked along a hill and entered some 'welcoming' gates that had a little plaque on them that read "Vietnam" (The only English word). So we walked in and turned left, to see what looked like a run-down, wartime house. We walked up the steps and through the doorway into a waiting room of Korean and Vietnamese mothers with their crying babies, men and families. The carpet was brown and torn, there was a cash register against the wall with no attendant and a dusty counter for filling out applications with no pens in sight. We walked to the right to the next doorway and found a door with a plaque on it that read "Consular" and opened it. There were two desks most likely from the 1970's and one man was at each desk.
We were told that we were supposed to come before 12, and that they were about to leave, but they helped us anyway. After taking turns writing our applications in the waiting room with the one pen I had and watching the Consulate worker apply white-out to fix our written apps, we had successfully applied for our Vietnam Visas.
We go back on Monday to pick them up. That's all she wrote!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Comings and Goings
Trust me, we are trying to keep you all informed of our whereabouts and events here, but nothing really exciting has been 
happening!
happening!I guess when you live somewhere new, after a while you just get settled. It can be an entirely new and dramatic experience for you, it can be a culture shock or even feel just backwards for a bit. But once you get into a routine, especially when you work in that certain place, it just becomes your life style. And you just become settled and comfortable. I think that is our current mode.
There is one thing that is really hard to get accustomed to here, though. That is, things come and go in Korean so quickly. Friends, students, places... 
In our neighbourhood, for example, there was an amazing non-fat yogurt place called Red Mango. It is a chain here, and I think it actually might be Japanese, but don't quote me. The employees would top the vanilla yogurt with whatever you desired- watermelon, mango, kiwi, cocoa puffs, bananas, chocolate chips... the list is endless. (However, some of those ingredients may take away from the "non fat" part about the yogurt!) Anyway, I walked by it last week and to my surprise- and dismay- it was closed! I later found out that yet ANOTHER cell phone store is going in its place! It makes me really upset! :(
In our neighbourhood, for example, there was an amazing non-fat yogurt place called Red Mango. It is a chain here, and I think it actually might be Japanese, but don't quote me. The employees would top the vanilla yogurt with whatever you desired- watermelon, mango, kiwi, cocoa puffs, bananas, chocolate chips... the list is endless. (However, some of those ingredients may take away from the "non fat" part about the yogurt!) Anyway, I walked by it last week and to my surprise- and dismay- it was closed! I later found out that yet ANOTHER cell phone store is going in its place! It makes me really upset! :( There was also a cute mandu place that Ian and Andy really liked on our neighbourhood corner. It was closed down and replaced by an Etude House. Etude House is a makeup and body store chain in Korea, so I was satisfied to learn that it was coming to our neighbourhood, but at the same time it is really sad to see little family-run businesses going under all the time here.
Occurrences such as these happen weekly in our neighbourhood. Two more little Korean food places were closed down last week, and already new clothing stores have replaced them.
As far as friends, everyone homes here at a different time, on different contracts. You can make room in your heart for people, and before the blink of an eye, they are gone. It is really hard to deal with sometimes. Fortunately, most of the people that has happened with so far are from Ontario, so at least we know there is a lot of time in the future to keep building on these friendships. People like Mark, Julia, Anne and Colin are people Ian and I wish we had more of a chance to hang out with. Even Julianne and Eric, who were here for less then a week, we wish we could have gotten to know better! I guess that is just the way it is here, though. Goodbye party, after goodbye party!
We are REALLY happy that our friends Leah and Andy have extended their
contract, however. It seems like all of our friends at our school and our surrounding branches have come within the past few months, so we are all going to be here for a while. I am really pumped about that. I keep thinking about Christmas and how difficult it is to be away from our families, and then I think of our little family here and I know it won't be so bad!
contract, however. It seems like all of our friends at our school and our surrounding branches have come within the past few months, so we are all going to be here for a while. I am really pumped about that. I keep thinking about Christmas and how difficult it is to be away from our families, and then I think of our little family here and I know it won't be so bad!Miss you all... Much love.
Pictures:
Goodbye Parties and Other Summer Stuff: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105234&l=7cf17&id=187905622
Welcomes, Goodbyes, and other fun stuff: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2107764&l=4aca2&id=187905622
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